Crack Comics Vol 1 29
* Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * A. Spade * Z. Spade Other Characters: * Locations: * Items: * Vehicles: * | Writer2_1 = Paul Gustavson | Penciler2_1 = Joey Cavallo | Inker2_1 = Joey Cavallo | StoryTitle2 = Alias the Spider: "The Fly" | Synopsis2 = Wealthy theater owner Ted Tembroke is thrown to his death from the penthouse garden of his own theater-slash-skyscraper by a caped, costumed, disguised intruder, calling himself The Fly. Ted lands on the sidewalk, close to Tom Hallaway, who is just emerging from that evening’s show and meeting Chuck his chauffeur. Ted lives just long enough to gasp out “The Fly! The Fly! The …” then dies. Luckily Tom has worn his Spider costume under his regular suit and luckily Chuck knows how to operate an elevator; they go straight to the penthouse, where they meet Ted’s distraught daughter Doris. Doris shows Spider a threatening note from “The Fly,” alluding to some unstated grievance from ten years earlier. Ted’s business partner John Duke, half-owner of the Tembroke Theater, arrives, and has no helpful information to contribute. The Spider goes home and searches through his files, to figure out who held a grudge against Ted Tembroke from ten years ago; Chuck finds a newspaper clipping about a bad fall suffered by Deddo the Human Fly. So Tom and Chuck go visit Deddo, who is now a twisted cripple, and at first denies ever having been a daredevil acrobat, but his story breaks down quickly, and he admits to holding a grudge against Tembroke, whom he blamed for the accident that took him out of show business. But his atrophied arms are no longer capable of any wall-climbing, and The Spider starts to believe his claims of innocence. Meanwhile at the penthouse, Doris is grieving over Ted’s death, alone, next to the retaining wall around the penthouse garden. The Fly shows up, grabs her, and throws her over the wall. But she only falls one story before she’s caught by The Spider, who is hanging on a rope outside a window, positioned very luckily under just the right spot to make this catch. He hands Doris off to Chuck through an open window, then climbs to the roof, and starts punching out and unmasking The Fly, who turns out to be Ted’s partner John Duke. Duke can't really climb an entire building, and used a rope to get here from one story below, but he rallies up and charges at The Spider one more time, but gets punched in the face so hard that he flies backward, over the wall, and off the building. | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Chuck, Hallaway's chauffeur Antagonists: * John Duke, The Fly Other Characters: * Deddo, formerly The Fly * Ted Tembroke * Doris Tembroke Locations: * Tembroke Tower Items: * Vehicles: * | Writer3_1 = | Penciler3_1 = Charles Sultan | Inker3_1 = Charles Sultan | StoryTitle3 = Black Condor: "The Author Wrote His Own Death Warrant" | Synopsis3 = | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Dr. Foster * Wendy Foster Antagonists: * Ralph Drew Other Characters: * Heywood Bryant Locations: * Washington DC ** The Swank Club Items: * Vehicles: * | Writer4_1 = Al Stahl | Penciler4_1 = Al Stahl | Inker4_1 = Al Stahl | StoryTitle4 = Inkie: "Inkie Is a Comic Character the Size of Your Pinky..." | Synopsis4 = Inkie comes to life in the real world. | Appearing4 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * Shut-Eye Other Characters: * Officer Sullivan Locations: * Items: * Vehicles: * | Writer5_1 = Klaus Nordling | Penciler5_1 = Klaus Nordling | Inker5_1 = Klaus Nordling | StoryTitle5 = Pen Miller: "The Oil Man" | Synopsis5 = | Appearing5 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Chop Chu Antagonists: * Red Mandrill * Buggsy * Mousy Other Characters: * building superintendent at Pen's apartment house Locations: * Items: * Vehicles: * | Writer6_1 = | Penciler6_1 = Clark Williams | Inker6_1 = Clark Williams | StoryTitle6 = Hack O'Hara: "The Leaches of Our Society" | Synopsis6 = | Appearing6 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * gang of counterfeiters Other Characters: * Mark Palmer * two unnamed scoldy society ladies Locations: * Washington DC Items: * Vehicles: * Hack's taxicab | Writer7_1 = George Brenner | Penciler7_1 = Fran Matera | Inker7_1 = Fran Matera | StoryTitle7 = The Clock: "Who Done It!!" | Synopsis7 = | Appearing7 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Butch Buchanan Antagonists: * "Big Ed" Gloyne, new City Treasurer ** Real name is Ed Glane * Joe Glynn, City Editor, the Daily Mail ** Real name is Joe Glane Other Characters: * James Post, Publisher, the Daily Mail * "Smitty" Smith, writer, the Daily Mail * unnamed office boy, the Daily Mail Locations: * ** the Daily Mail Items: * Vehicles: * | Notes = * The Black Condor's secret identity Tom Wright smokes cigarettes. His doctor, Doctor Foster smokes a pipe. * The Spider wears no mask. The Spider's driver Chuck smokes cigarettes. * Also featured in this issue of Crack Comics were: ** , by Bernard Dibble ** Rube Goldberg's Side Show, by Rube Goldberg ** Slap Happy Pappy: "Hey, Pappy! War's Bin Declared!", by Jack Cole ** "Lisbon Terror" (text story, featuring Eric Vale) | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links = * Crack Comics #29 May 1943, entire issue online }}